Method of and apparatus for forming concrete floors or the like



J. HOLDSWORTH ET AL Dec. 10,1929.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CONCRETE FLOORS OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 9, 1928 INVENTORS 7) 7 ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN WILLIAM HOLDSWORTH AND HARRY HOLDSWORTH, OF NEW ROCHELLE,

' NEW YORK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CONCRETE FLOORS OR THE LIKE A Application filed November 9, 1928. Serial No. 318,139.

This invention relates to a new and im proved method of forming concrete floors or walls or the like, and a new and improved apparatus for this purpose, it being understood that the invention covers the use of all plastic materials, and imparting any desired texture (rough or smooth) to the outer surface or surfaces of the floor, wall, etc.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for making said flooring, walls, and the like, which will produce a substantial economy in the cost of manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to produce-a wall or floor of this type, whose outer surfaces-shall not be marred by any undesired roughness or irregularity or form markings.

Another object of this invention is to provide a floor Whose underside or ceiling surface shall be free from the said undesired roughness, irregularity, form markings and the like.

Other objects of our invention will be set forth in'the following description and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood that the above general statement of the objects of the invention is intended merely to generally explain the same, and not to limit it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view diagrammatically illustrating apparatus adapted for carrying out the invention.

ig. 2 is a perspective view, angles to Fig. 1.

Heretofore in making concrete floors, it has been customary to build up a mold adjacent taken at right to the beams of the building. .The bottom of said mold consisted of interlocking wooden boards or other interlocking members. These interlocking members could not be provided with joints sufiiciently tight to prevent the concrete 'or other lastic material from entering saidjoints. mice, when the floor was completed and these boards or similar members were removed, the underside or ceiling surface of the floor had projecting fins. It was necessary to remove these fins which increased the cost of manufacture. Likewise, if wooden forms were used, the surface of the wood produced objectionable markings or irregularities in the ceiling surface. Even after these fins or projections were removed, it Was necessary to plaster the ceiling in order to provide a smooth light-reflecting surface.

According to our invention, the bottom of the mold consists of interlocking members 2, which may be ordinary boards. These bottom members 2 are held upon slats 1, which are suitably connected to the frame work of the building. This can be done in any manner known to the trade, as for example, by means of props, wires and the like. 4

The said bottom members 2 are first cov-. ered with a layer of cement, which may be of the type utilized for cementing linoleum to a floor. While we do not wish to limit ourselves to the use of any particular cement, we have found this suitable for' our purpose. The cement which was used for connecting linoleum to a floor is not affected by water. It consists essentially ofa linseed oil cement which is stifl', strong, and tacky.

A sheet of flexible water proof material 4 is now connected to the members 2 by means of the intermediate thin layer of cement 3.

As shown in the drawings, the layer of cement 3 has a smooth top or inner surface. The layer of cement fills the irregularities in the wood mold, including the joints between 30 the boards. Said boards may be considered as irregularities. When the layer of cement has hardened, it can sustain the molding pressure. This molding pressure is created by the weight of the concrete and in addition the concrete is rammed into the mold so that the layer of cement must withstand considerable force. The flexible lining 4 which covers the cement lining 3 enables the workmen to walk upon the inside of a form, without injuring the lining. Hence, when the concrete or the like is directly molded against this smooth molding surface, the concrete mass is provided with a smooth light-reflecting surface so that it is not necessary to finish it or plaster it. The use of the stearic acid later mentioned herein is desirable because it increases the smoothness of the moldin surface and it prevents the flexible lining 4 rom adhering tothe concrete.

. a mold with a paper lining, and said paper lin- It has been heretofore proposed to provide ing was impregnated or coated with a material which prevented the concrete from setting so that it was easy to rub down the concrete. However, according to our invention, the concrete is allowed to set into final form while it is in contact with the lining of the mold. That is, our invention eliminates the necessity of rubbing down the concrete. The boards 2 may be considered as providing a foundation for the lining to take up the molding pressure. The member 4 is thus cemented in position, before the cement 3 has hardened.

The top surfaceof the flexible sheet4is made as smooth as'possible by using ordinary manipulation. We prefer to use thick paper impregnated with asphalt, for making the flexible member 4, although we do not wish to limit ourselves to any particular type of flexible material.

The asphalt-impregnated paper is preferable because it is water proof and it can be easily manipulated.

The top surface of the flexible sheet 4 can be smooth, if it is desired to have the ceiling surface of the floor provided with a smooth texture. However, the top surface of the sheet 4 can have any suitable texture or design so as to reproduce this in the said ceiling surface.

The top surface of the flexible sheet 4 is now provided with a thin coating of a material which does not adhere to the plastic material used for making the ceiling. It is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the use of a flexible sheet 4, since for some purposes, a sti sheet 4 having the necessary dimensions could be employed, but 'we prefer using flexible material since it can be more readily manipulated.

If the floor 6 is to be made of concrete, we prefer to make the non-adherent coating 5 of stearic acid. This can be done conveniently by taking an ordinary plumbers candle, grinding thisinto the form of shavings and mixing this with kerosene, after the shavings have been heated until they melt. The consistency of the mixture thus secured depends upon the proportions between the stearic acid and the kerosene. The mixture may have the consistency of ordinary petroleum jelly, in which case it is spread upon the upper surface of the member 4 by any suitable tool. If desired, the mixture could be made thin enough so that it can be sprayed upon the top surface of the member 4. Hence, if said top surface of the member 4 has a design or texture, the thin coating 5 does not materially alter said design or texture.

When a form' has thus been made, it has a bottom or molding surface which is either smooth or has the desired texture or design.

The side walls of the form may be built up in any ordinary manner to the desired height.

I The side walls of the form are constructed in the manner previously described.

The reinforcement for the concrete or other plastic material is now placed within the mold. This reinforcement may be of any suitable type, and it is held in position in any well-known manner. The plastic material 6, which may be concrete or the like, is now poured into the mold and it is allowed to set. It is then very easy to knock down the mold members because this is facilitated by the non-adherent coating 5.

Likewise, if a floor has been constructed, the ceiling surface of the said floor is either perfectly smooth or lit has the desired texture or design, and it is free from all objectionable markings or irregularities, and the grain or surface of the wood does not in any way alfect the surface'finish of the ceiling. Likewise, the ceiling surface is perfectly free from fins or the like.

This eliminates the expense of finishing the ceiling surface which has been thus formed. The plastic material 6 can be made with any desired color, as it is not necessary to plaster and finish the ceiling surface.

While we have more specifically illustrated our invention in producing a floor, our invention is also applicable to making walls and other integral parts of buildings such as columns or the like.

It is to be .understood that while the lining providedby the members 4 is not integral, in that said lining is made of a series of paper sheets, said lining is continuous, in that the plastic material cannot enter the spaces between the paper sheets. When the mold is knocked down, the paper can be scraped from the boards. The inner surfaces of the boards can be covered with the water-repellent material before mentioned, before the cement is applied, to facilitate the removal of the paper therefrom.

It is to be understood that whenever we refer to plastic material, we refer to materials such as concrete, gypsum, and the like, which are plastic in the moist condition, and set upon drying.

It has been proposed, in making separate slabs of concrete, as distinguished from an integral building part, to line the outer members of the mold with a cement. However, such cement had to be spread by a trowel or the like, so that its inner surface had undesirable irregularities. By cementing a flexible member or members 4 into position, this is eliminated.

We have shown a preferred embodiment of.

our invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions could be made without departing from its spirit.

We claim: p Y

1. A wooden mold comprising a series of connected planks having intermediate joints, said mold havin an inner lining connected thereto by an adhesive which substantially fills said joints and which also substantially fills the irregularities in said planks, said adhesive being suflicient-ly firm to maintain said lining against distortion when the molding pressure is applied.

2. A wooden mold comprising a series of connected planks having intermediate joints, said mold having an inner lining connected thereto by an adhesive which substantially fills saidjoints and which also substantially fills thel'irregularities in said planks, said adhesive being sufliciently firm to maintain said lining against distortion when the molding pressure is applied, said adhesive being unafiected by moisture.

3. A ooden mold comprising a series of connecte planks having intermediate joints, said mold having an inner lining made of cellulosematerial connected thereto by an adhesive which substantially fills said joints and whit-2h also substantially fills the irregularities in said planks, said adhesive being sufficiently firm to maintain said lining against distortion when the molding pressure is applied.

4. In the art of forming a building part made of, plastic material and which has a substantially smooth light-reflecting surface,

those steps which consist in covering a form with a coating and forming said part against a molding surface which has been placed upon said form and coating and has the desired smooth configuration and which is maintained in said desired configuration against the molding pressure, and permitting the plastic material to set into final form against said molding surface.

5. A wooden mold comprising a series of connected planks having intermediate joints, said mold having an inner lining made of cellulose? material which is impervious to water, said lining being connected to said mold by'an adhesive Whichsubstantially fills the irregularities in said planks, said adhesive being sufiiciently firm to maintain said lining against distortion when the molding pressureg'is applied.

6. A step in the art of casting plastic material tofobtain a smooth surface, which consists in applying an adhesive layer to a nonmetallicgbase to fill in the voids and irregularities the base to produce a smooth backin surface for the application of mold lining.

In the art of casting plastic material to obtain a'smooth surface, the steps which consist in applying an adhesive layer to a nonmetallic base to fill in the voids and irregularities therein, and afiixing thereto a lining, said lining being non-adherent to plastic material. I

8. In the art of casting plastic material to obtain a smooth surface, the steps which 0011- sist in applying an adhesive layer to a nontures.

JOHN WM. HOLDSWORTH. HARRY I-IOLDSWORTH. 

